FFM: SILO, Fall 1963, edited by Lynne Coleman and Stephanie Spinner: Bob Dylan, Holland Taylor, William Marshall, Sandra Hochman, Gerard Malanga, et al.

SILO

Perhaps unsurprisingly, this is an unusually-highly-prized/priced (for collectors) issue of this largely forgotten literary magazine; published beginning in 1942 at Bennington College, in 1963 as today a magnet for students from wealthy families who leaned into their talents (though then still a women-students-only institution), and a school willing to pay for "marquee" faculty. In 2016, perhaps the last annual issue, 73, was posted online as The Silo.

But this issue manages to gather a rather (eventually, at least) impressive set of students, faculty and a visiting folk singer who passed along the lyrics of a new song he was trying out at an on-campus concert. So...I'm not going to invest the fat little wad of money this issue is being offered for...but thought it worth citing in this context.

Update: I have been informed that Karen Jackel picked up a onetime Best Story from the College Literary Magazines award for this story, the contest judged by Leslie Fiedler...

No. 4 (presumably among 1963 issues; perhaps the title for this issue was for some reason Silo 4). Bennington, VT: Bennington College, Fall 1963. Size (h/w): 23 x 16.5 cm. 

Edited by Lynne Coleman and Stephanie Spinner. Contributions by Ellen Wilbur, Holland Taylor, Gerard Malanga, Sandra Hochman (later a notable film documentarian as well as poet, novelist and memoirist), William Meredith, Karen Jackel and Bob Dylan (insert of page reproducing a holograph of his first version of "The Times They Are A Changin"). 

Anne Waldman, later editor of Silo, was "Board member for poetry" at the time of this issue. "Cited for two first-place awards as the most outstanding college literary magazine in America." Artwork included (inserts) by Megan Parry Marash, Gitta Steiner (primarily a composer of music), Tonia Noell (as Tonia Noell-Roberts she had illustrations later in at least one chemistry text and a Carl Rogers book on psychology for lay readers).

I might yet review Jackel's novel, Living and Learning, which was published as a mass-market original contemporary-mimetic novel by Avon in 1972. Copies of this novel are a lot less expensive...it starts well, but becomes rather precious rather quickly...

For more of today's books, please see Patti Abbott's blog...